Max O.
The
career path of many ALP politicos is well a known story of Machiavellian
opportunism. Usually it starts out with a university graduate who had their
political wheels bolted on through student activism in the Labor Club or Young
Labor. If they seem promising they get a job as a staffer in a Labor politician's
office or through the union movement.
Those in
the union movement may eventually become leaders of a union but their career
path is dependent on them sticking rigorously to the ideology of what is
commonly termed, 'Social Democracy'. In actual fact the democracy part of the
name is quite misleading. The descriptor, 'Social Opportunism' would be far
more accurate.
For those
that are particularly ambitious the union movement is only a half-way house.
Their ultimate goal is to become a member of parliament, government minister
and for those pretentious enough Prime Minister.
Bump me into parliament
Hence the
expression of, "Bump me into parliament". Past examples of this creed
were Bob Hawke (one time leader of the ACTU, then Labor Prime Minister) and Simon
Crean (another former leader of the ACTU and later Federal Labor leader and
government minister).
They
preach the ALP gospel that they can benefit the people by effecting change only
through legislation in parliament. Remember Bob Hawke's opportunistic promise
that "No child will live in poverty"?
Nor
should Simon Crean's clarion call for collaboration between labour and capital
be forgotten: "The Labor Party has always operated most effectively when
it has been inclusive, not when it has sought division, not when it has gone
after class warfare."
However
success doesn't stop there. Even though they have been well remunerated they
want more. Both financially and to move socially within the ranks of the ruling
class. Rarely do ex-Labor politicians not go into business as hired hands on
company boards or join business consultancies.
Never
have we seen ex-Labor politicians go back to serve the union movement. Some
might think the above well-trodden path is one of 'selling out' the working
class. However an honest assessment of their path is not of 'selling out',
because they never 'bought in' to serving the working class in the first place!
The
reality is that many union leaders and Labor politicians mislead, police and
surrender the working class for the benefit of big corporations - labour
lieutenants of capitalism! And this is the epithet of one Martin Ferguson.
Labor's business is big business!
Martin
Ferguson's history reads like a Labor roll of honour board: Leader of the
Miscellaneous Workers’ Union, President of the Australian Council of Trade
Unions and finally Federal Labor government Minister for Resources and Energy.
However
his record as a political functionary is anything but honourable for the
working class and Indigenous Australians. Ferguson's role in championing the
uranium, petroleum, gas and mining corporations is now legendary.
As Minister for Resources and Energy he was widely respected by the energy and mining moguls for arguing their case in parliament and legislating that their projects get the go ahead. Ferguson's pernicious role annihilated Indigenous sovereignty of their land and assisted wholesale exploitation of foreign (457 Visas) and local workers (FIFO) by the avaricious corporate giants.
Now that
he has left parliament big business believes he has the credentials to join
their ranks. And that is where Ferguson has gone.
In
October this year he joined Kerry Stoke's investment company Seven Group
Holdings as its head of natural resources, with his main focus being their
Caterpillar operations, Wes Trac. This was soon followed by his appointment to
the newly created position of Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Australian
Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA). APPEA is the peak
national body representing the interests of the oil and gas corporations, such
as resource giants like BHP Billiton, Origin and Shell.
Ferguson's
role for this group is to, in their own words, provide "strategic
advice" and "skills and contacts". He hasn't taken long in
getting started and is vigorously campaigning on behalf of the Coal Seam Gas
(CSG) industry.
Ferguson's infamy
In
particular Ferguson has been lobbying for and heralding the likes of Santo's
Pilliga and AGL Energy's Gloucester CSG projects in NSW. The energy
corporations want to do away with buffer zones around residential areas and
vineyards and horse stud properties being off limits to them.
Ferguson
advocates the Queensland Government's carte blanche approach towards the CSG
companies, where there is a "template for regulation and
co-existence". He pointed out at a recent onshore gas conference held in
Adelaide by the APPEA that gas shortages will likely result in price hikes for
households and manufacturers as a result of LNG reserves being mainly exported
overseas and the restrictions on CSG drilling in NSW.
His
alleged concern for consumers suffering price rises for gas is spurious.
Likewise the environmental dangers of CSG exploration and mining are of no
significance for Martin Ferguson. His bread and butter is capital's
profitability!
Ferguson's
service to capital will find only infamy in the memory of Australia's
Indigenous Peoples and working class.
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